Foldable article and joint therefor



J. C. PEWTHER. FOLDABLE ARTICLE AND JOINT THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 15. 1920.

1,879,285. Patented May 24,1921

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. C. PEWTHER.

FOLDABLE ARTICLE AND JOINT THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 15, 1920.

1,879,285. P tented May 24,1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET Z.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JUDSON C. PEWTHER, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

FOLDALBLE ARTICLE AND JOINT THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

foldable joint whereby two or more sections may be connected with each other so as to fold into operative or inoperative relation.

The general object of my invention is to provide a foldable joint which may be used in the construction of a large number of different articles and whereby two or more frame members may be foldably connected to each other.

A further object is to provide a joint of this character so .formed that the members when unfolded and placed in operative po sitions may be locked against any foldlng movement which would tend to collapse the article to which the joint is applied.

A further object is to provide a joint of this character which is particularly adapted to the connection of metallic frame members, which is simple, may be cheaply made, and which is adaptable to a large number of different urposes.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my foldable joint showing the joint locked;

Fig. 2 is a like View to Fig. 1 showing the joint unlocked;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a folding chair constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the chair folded;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the joints of the chair;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of another joint of the chair;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspectlve view of a slightly modified form of joint; and

is formed on its inner end with an elongated Y loop 14, the loop being elongated to define a longitudinally extending slot 15. The rivet 11 passes through the slots of both of these members, these members being disposed with their loops side by side and the U-shaped sheath being wide enough to accommodate these loops between the sides thereof. In this form of joint, it will be obvious that when the members 12 and 13 are pulled outward with relation to the sheath, as in Fig. 2, so that the rivet 11 or pivot=pin is in the outer ends of the slots 15, that these rods or members'12 and 13 may be turned from a position of alinement with each other into a position parallel with each other, but that when the members are turned into a position of alinement with each other and the two members 12 and 13 are forced toward each other so as to carry the inner ends of the slots 15 against the pin or rivet 11, that the two members 12 and 13 are locked in'their approximately alined position and cannot be rotated on the pivot pin. This is the principle upon which various joints which I will now describe are based.

I have illustrated in Fig. 3 a collapsible or foldable chair to illustrate two different forms of joint and how these joints can be applied in the manufacture of foldable articles, as for instance foldable furniture. The support for the seat of the chair is formed of a single rod or heavy wire bent to extend across the back, as at 16, and to extend forward along the sides of the chair, as at 17, this rod at its ends being formed to provide a downwardly extending loop 18. Coacting with these downwardly extending loops 18 is a rod 19 which is adapted to rest upon the floor and is preferably upwardly bent at its middle.

v crimped, as at 23, to bear against the upper as at 33, the lower ends of these downwardly end of the leg 20, and the lower portion of the sheath is longitudinally crimped, as at 24, between the main portion of the leg and the bend 21. Thus this leg and sheath are firmly held in engagement with each other. The upper portion of the sheath is hollow and open at its upper end, and the U-shaped bend 18 is inserted within this hollow upper portion. The rear upper corner of the sheath is cut away, as at 25, to permlt an oscillation of the loop 18 within the sheath. Extending across the front of the chair and at its ends extending through the upper hollow end of the two sheaths 22, and passing through the loops 18 is a bar or rod 26. The seat 27, which may be made of canvas or like material, is supported on the rod 16, the rod 17 and on the rod 26 by means of lacings or in any other suitable manner.

It will be obvious now that when the sheaths 22 are pulled downward relative to the loops 18 that the legs 20 with the cross bar 19 may be turned into parallel relation to the portion 17, but that when they are turned at right angles to the portion 17 and forced upward with relation to the loops 18, the loops 18 will lock the sheaths from oscillation in the manner heretobefore described with reference to the locking of the loops 14 in F ig.,1. Thus it will be seen that the front legs may be turned into a position at right angles to'the frame of the bottom of the seat or into a position parallel thereto,

and that in the first named position they are locked by any weight resting on the seat. The rear legs are formed by a U-shaped bar or heavy wire bent to provide the cross bar 28 and the upwardly extending legs 29. These upwardly extending portions of the rod at their upper ends are formed with elongated loops 30 through which the cross bar 16 passes and which forms a pivot for the rear legs.

The back of the seat is formed by an approximately U-shaped rod or heavy wire 7 which is bent to form a transversely extending rod 31, which at its ends is forwardly bent, as at 32, and then downwardly bent,

extending portions being formed with the elongated loops 34 through which the bar 16 passes. These two loops 30 and 34 slide in asheath 35 through the two side walls of which the rod 16 passes. The outer wall of this sheath is extended parallel to the rod 17 and the margins of this extended portion are bent over upon the rod 17, as at 36, to embrace this rod and hold the sheath rigidly to the seat 27 and that if the legs 29 are turned into right angular relation to the seat and then forced upward relative to the sheaths 35 and the cross bar 16, that the legs will be locked in this right angular or operative position. In the same way the back, if pulled upward relative to the cross bar 16 and the sheaths, may be turned into a position parallel to the seat, and if turned into a position at right angles to the seat and forced downward, the back will be locked in its vertical position. Thus it will be seen that the chair formed of the sections described and connected by the joints described may be unfolded, as illustrated in Fig. 3, or folded up, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

It will be noted now that I have shown three forms of joints, namely the very simple form of joint illustrated in Fig. 1,

the joint between the front leg 20 and one of the side bars 17, and the joint between the side bars 17 and two members 29 and 33, in other words this chair illustrates the fact that two members, as 17 and 20, may be connected to each other for movement into parallel relation or locked right angular relation, and the joint illustrated at the intersection of the back, rear legs and side of the chair illustrates that a joint may be formed whereby three elements may be engaged with each other for movement into parallel relation or into a position where two of the elements are disposed at right angles to the third element. The principle of the joint comprises, therefore, the use of two or more members having elongated loops and a third member having a sheath in which the loops are disposed and a pivot pin extending through the loop or loops.

In Fig. 7 I illustrate another form of the invention which embodies exactly the same principles as applied to the rear corner joint of the chair but which is slightly different in detailed form, the chair being one in which the two legs on one side of the chair are connected for movement into or out of a position at right angles to the bottom of the chair and there are additional back legs which, like the back and like the construction illustrated in Fig. 7, are movable into or out of, right angular'position with reference to the bottom of the chair. I have only illustrated the particular form of joint which might be used in a variety of different cirby bending over the material of the sheath,

as at 47, upon the rod.. To the free margin of the portion 43 the rod 48 is attached by bending the material of the end of the portion 43 around the rod. The rod 45 extends through the sheath 42, while the rod 48 extends throu h the sheath 41. Disposed within the s eath 42 is a vertical rod 49 which is formed with an elongated loop 50 embracing the end of the rod 45 and rotatalble thereon, and, extending downward from the sheath is the leg or rod 51 which is formed at its upper end with the elongated loop 52 also embracing the rod 45.- Disposed within the sheath 41, which is closed at its upper end, is a downwardly extending member constituting a leg and designated 53, which is formed with an elongated open loop 54 at its upper end embracing the rod 48.

With a construction of this character, the members 49 and 51 may be turned into a position parallel to the members 45 and 48 or into a position at right angles thereto and held in this position by shifting the member 49 downward relative to the rod 45 or shifting the rod 51 upward relative to the rod 45. The rod 53 may be also locked in a position at right angles to the rod 48 or turned into parallelism thereto by shifting the rod up or down within the sheath 41 and relative to the pivot formed by the rod 48. Qt. course, it will be understood that when this joint is applied to a chair, the rod 45 will be equivalent to the rod 16 in Fig. 3, the rod 51 is the equivalent of the rod 29, the rod 49 is the equivalent of the rod 33 in Fig. 3, the rod 48 is the equivalent of the rod 17, but the rod 53 is an additional leg at the rear corner of the chair.

It will be noted that in all the embodiments of my invention which 1 have illustrated, the sheaths are approximately U- shaped in cross section. While the greater portion of the sheath 22 is not U-shaped in cross section, it will be noted that by reason of the cut away portion 25, the upper end of this sheath, that is the effective portion theroef, is Ushaped in cross section. Furthermore, it will be noted that the bottom of each sheath is spaced from the pivot member which passes therethrough a distance approximately equal to the diameter of the stock, that is the rod or wire from which the legs and back members are formed, to se cure a good looking action and secure proper rigidity in the parts.

It will be obvious that all of these several forms of my invention operate on the same principle and show merely adaptations of the rinciple to difl'erent forms of joints. Whl e I have illustrated some of these adaptations, it will be understood that the principle may be appliedto many different forms, to manydifierent articles and man diflerent ways wlthout departing from "the spirit of the invention.

I claim 1. In a foldable article, a sheath approximately U-shaped in cross section and having a pivot member extending across it' and spaced from the bottom thereof, two rods disposed at opposite ends of the sheath and in overlapping relation to each other, the

rods at their adjacent ends being formed with elongated loops through which the pivot pin passes and whereby the rods may be shifted longitudinally with reference to the pivot pin or rotated thereon, the rods each having a diameter approximately equal to the distance between the pivot pin and the bottom of the sheath.

2. In a foldable article, an ap roximately U-shaped sheath, a rod extending through the side walls of the sheath and then being bent at an angle .thereto and constituting a pivot member, a pair of rods extending into the sheath, each of said rods being formed with an elongated loop through which said pivot member passes, the looped portions ofthe rods overlap ing each other and being longitudinally shlftable with relation to the pivot member and in one position rotatable with relation thereto, said rods each having a diameter approximately equal to the distance between the pivot member and the bottom of the sheath.

3. In a foldable article, a sheath approximately U-shaped in cross section, one margin of the sheath being extended, a rod extending parallel to this last named margin of the sheath, the material of this extended margin of the sheath being bent around the rod to hold it in permanent engagement with the sheath, said rod extending through the sheath to constitute a pivot member and be ing spaced from the bottom of the sheath, and a rod having an elongated loop disposed within the sheath and through which the pivot member passes, the space between the pivot member and the bottom of the sheath being'approximately the same as the diameter of the rod, said rod whenshifted into one position being locked from oscillation relative to the sheath and around the pivot member and when shifted in the other direction being free to oscillate around the pivot member.

4. In a foldable article, an approximately U-shaped sheath, a rod extending through the side walls of the sheath and then angularly bent parallel to one of said side walls, the last named side wall of the sheath being extended and bent around the rod to hold it in angular relation to the length of the sheath, a second rod extending into the sheath and formed with an elongated loop, a third rod extending into the sheath and formed with an elongated loop, the first named rod passing through both of said loops and constituting a pivot member therefor, said second and third named rods being thereby shiftable longitudinally with reference to the rod and oscillatable with reference thereto, the space between the bottom of the sheath and the pivot member being approximately equal to the diameter of the second and third named rods.

5. In an article of furniture, oppositely disposed legs, each leg at its upper end being formed to provide a vertically extending sheath open at its u per end and having one edge cut away at t e upper end of the sheath, a rod connecting the upper ends of the legs and extending through the sheaths, and a supporting frame including two op 0- sitely disposed rods, each of said rods being formed at one end with a loop disposed at right angles to the rods and insertible into said sheath, the transverse connecting rod between the legs extending through said loops and forming pivot pins for the loops, whereby the loops may be shifted longitudinally in the sheaths with reference to the pivot pin or rotated thereon, the distance between the ivot member and the wall of the sheath belng approximately equal to the thickness of the wall of the loop.

6. In a foldable article, a member comprising two conjoined sheaths, each approximately U-shaped in cross section and extending at right angles to each other, the sheaths extending lengthwise in parallel relation to each other, an angular rod extending transversely across both of said sheaths, those portions of the rod extending through the sheaths constituting pivot members, a pair of rods, one disposed in each sheath, each of said rods being formed with an elongated loop through which said pivot member passes, the looped portions of the rods being longitudinally shiftable with relation to the pivot member and in one position rotatable with relation thereto, said rods each having: a diameter approximately equal to the distance between the pivot member and the bottom of the sheath, said rods being thereby foldable into or out of parallel relation.

7. A foldable article including conjoined sheaths disposed in planes at right angles to each other, each of said sheaths being approximately U-shaped in cross section, and the longitudinal axes of said sheaths being in parallel relation, an angular rod extending through the side walls of each sheath, the outer extremities of the conjoined sheaths being bent around said rod, a pair of rods coacting each with one of said sheaths, each of said rods being formed with an elongated 100 through which said pivot member passes, 51s loo ed portions of each rod being longitudinall shiftable with relation to the pivot memh tion rotatable with relation thereto, said rods each having a diameter approximately equal to the distance between the pivot member and the bottom of the sheath.

8. A foldable article of furniture including a seat supporting frame formed of stock bent to constitute a transversely extending rear rod and side rods extending at right angles to the rear rod, the forward ends of said side rods being formed with elongated loops extending downward from said side rods, a pair of connected front legs, an approximately U-shaped sheath connected to the front legs and into which the elongated loops of the side rods extend, a transverse front rod extending through said sheaths and through the loops and constituting pivot members therefor, a pair of sheaths attached to the rear member and side member of the seat frame at the corners thereof and approximately U-shaped in cross section and through which the rear member passes, and a pair of connected legs having their upper ends bent to form elongated loops and disposed in said sheaths and through which said rear rod passes, the distance between the rear rod and the bottom of each sheath being approximately the diameter of the looped portion of the rod, said front and rear legs when shifted downward with reference to the seat frame being rotatable into planes parallel to the seat frame and when shifted upward relative to the seat frame being thereby locked from rotative movement.

9. A foldable article of furniture including a seat supporting frame formed of stock bent to constitute a transversely extending rear rod and side rods extending at right angles to the rear rod, the forward ends of said side rods being formed with elongated loops extending downward from said side rods, a pair of connected front legs, an approximately U-shaped sheath connected to the front legs andinto which the elongated loops of the side rods extend, a transverse front rod extending through saidsheats and through the loops and constituting pivot er and in one posi-' members therefor, a pair of sheaths attached planes parallel to the seat frame and when shifted upward relative to the seat frame being thereby locked from rotative movement, and a back frame having two downwardly extending side members, each formed at its lower end with an elongated loop disposed in the last named sheaths and through which the rear rod of the seat frame passes whereby said back frame may be vertically shifted with relation to said sheaths and 10 may be turned into a position parallel to the bottom frame or shifted into locked position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

J UDSON C. PEWTHER. 

